BMC has launched the fourth generation of its Timemachine time trial bike, which takes a radical approach to the stance of the fork legs and seatstays.
The new Timemachine gets BMC’s Mpc suffix, short for Masterpiece, and signifying that the frameset is built to its highest standards. The main frame is made in one piece and unpainted to keep the weight low.
BMC says the redesign was in response to a request from its sponsored Tudor Pro Cycling team for 3% overall drag reduction, including the bike and rider. It claims to have bettered this with a 3.7% improvement. For a rider delivering 450 watts, it says this would equate to riding at 55.7km/h rather than 55km/h.
Tuned for faster ride speeds and lower wind yaw angles
BMC has worked closely with Tudor’s innovation team to develop and test the bike in the wind tunnel and with real-world riding.
“Our Innovation team was able to complement the extensive expertise of BMC by bringing specific knowledge in aerodynamics, computational fluid dynamics, parametric design, testing methodologies, and real-world validation,” says Kurt Bergin-Taylor, head of innovation at Tudor Pro Cycling.
BMC says average speeds in pro-level time trials are now approaching 60km/h, while its 2023 Speedmachine was aero optimised for speeds closer to 45km/h, so there was a need for a radical rethink to achieve Tudor’s goal.
On the other hand, at such high speeds, the yaw component of drag is less significant than at lower speeds, so BMC has tuned its drag calculation to weight drag at lower yaw angles that are closer to those experienced by a track bike.
It points out that a time trial frameset accounts for only 6% of the total system drag, so to achieve Tudor’s target via the bike alone, the frameset’s drag would need to be reduced by around 50% to 3.8% of the total.
Of the total drag figure, 78% is claimed to result from the rider and the final 16% from the components.
Stymied by the UCI
BMC’s Impec lab used rapid prototyping to help it design and test the various components of the new frame. Rather than the usual 3D-printed plastic mock-up, it developed an alloy prototype rig, itself 3D-printed, that could be adjusted but was still strong enough to ride, enabling it to meet the target launch for the start of the 2026 racing season.
The prototype was taken to the wind tunnel three times between December 2024 and August 2025 to prove the design. This was followed by testing in the velodrome across multiple frame sizes with four Tudor Pro Cycling riders, including Stefan Küng.
The initial design delivered a 4.1% improvement, but new rules imposed by the UCI for the 2026 season meant it needed to be remodelled to make it UCI-compliant, by meeting the 120mm fork-leg stance regulation, which almost caught out the Factor One.
The UCI hasn’t (yet) stipulated a maximum seatstay width, so on the new Timemachine these are wider still, mirroring the design of British Cycling’s Hope track bike. BMC says this reduces turbulence generated in the wake from the rider’s legs.
Other aero features include a tilted front brake caliper mount and even SpeedFin tails to the rear dropouts to reduce drag around the cassette and brakes.
The new Timemachine is claimed to “deliver exceptional stability and handling”, and make bike fit easier, which is a necessity because there are only two frame sizes available. There’s compatibility with Profile Design’s Aeria dual riser extensions, too.
At the same time, BMC has looked to future-proof the frameset with the flexibility to use 1x or 2x groupsets, oversize chainrings (something else the UCI has its eye on regulating), chain catchers and tyres up to 30mm wide.
The new Timemachine Mpc will sit alongside the Speedmachine 01 and Trackmachine 01 in BMC’s catalogue. BMC says it’s designed purely for the needs of Tudor Pro Cycling.
Despite its pro-only billing, UCI rules stipulate that equipment used in competition must be available to purchase, so the Timemachine Mpc frameset is duly available for public sale in sizes S and ML only, albeit in limited volumes, priced at €18,999 / $21,299.
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